The Catcher in the Rye vs. Looking For Alaska

1807 WordsApr 22nd, 20148 Pages

Looking For Alaska vs. The Catcher in the Rye Many parallels can be drawn between the main protagonists in John Green's Looking for Alaska, and J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. Although these two coming of age novels differ greatly in setting and in circumstance, many of the broader, more fundamental themes in each are actually quite similar. John Green was very much influenced by J.D. Salinger, and even admitted that Miles "Pudge" Halter in Looking For Alaska, was based largely off of Holden Caulfield, the main character in Catcher in the Rye. In reading the two books, this statement becomes less and less difficult to believe as we see ignorance, rebellion against authority, death, isolation, and eventually maturity, and…show more content…

In a conversation with her after she passes, he says, "You can't just make me different then leave. (…) Because I was fine before, Alaska. I was fine with just me and last words and school friends, and you can't just make me different and then die." (Looking For Alaska, p. 172). It's interesting that Miles seems to personify Alaska throughout the rest of the book after she's dead, much like Holden does in The Catcher in the Rye. Although the reader never meets Holden's little brother, Allie Caulfield, we sure do hear a lot about him throughout the book. He died of leukemia on July 18, 1946, when he was eleven and Holden was thirteen. He describes the dark memory to the reader by saying, "I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the goddam windows in the garage. I don't blame them. I really don't. I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist just for the hell of it." (The Catcher in the Rye, p. 50). It's clear that Holden and Miles have in common that they can't just move on when dealing with a death, but they have to heal and take their time to work it out. Holden and Miles both individually deal with isolation in their respective circumstances, Miles experiences it post Alaska Young's sudden death, and Holden goes through it merely being on his own. Some time after Alaska's funeral, Miles speaks to Takumi for the

The Struggle to Be Normal
In today’s society, many teenagers struggle in their everyday lives due to the fact that they have different qualities than others. The novel, Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is about a young man named Holden Caulfield, who suffers from multiple mental illnesses, causing him to be treated different by others. Due to tragedies he has suffered from in the past, and all that is going on in is present life, Holden can no longer cope and runs away to New York. Christopher…

Madison Davis
English 30D
Mrs. Reimer
February 12, 2011
Looking for Alaska
The main theme in John Green’s novel “Looking for Alaska” is that there is more to life than can be experienced through any one person or experience, and that we will never truly understand everything that happens to us or the ones we love. We just have to accept these things, whether they be good or bad, and hope for the best.
The novel is written in first-person perspective, through the eyes of the main character. His…

of numbness, which can be easily identified with his tendency to fantasize about death, his rejection towards intimacy and sexuality, and his excessive drinking.
I. Introduction
Topic Sentence: Holden the main character in the novel The Catcher in the Rye, after the death of his brother closes himself to the world.
a. The dynamics of Holden’s existential crisis.
b. Numbness as a response to social inadequacy.
c. Holden’s personality.
Concluding sentence: Holden takes certain attitudes…

Comparative Essay
The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger and Igby Goes Down by Burr Steers are both displayed as rites of passage texts. The respective protagonists of these two texts are Igby Slocumb and Holden Caulfield. These two characters are both on a journey motif, a journey of self discovery in which they both attempt to find meaning in life and understand societies values and attitudes. The two protagonists demonstrate non-conformity and rebel against the apparent hypocrisy present in…

ENG 3U1 – The Catcher in the Rye Essay Outline Assignment
Task: Pick one of the essay prompts below. Your answer to the prompt will be the thesis of your essay. Thoughtfully and carefully craft an essay outline to develop and defend your thesis. Be concise and to the point, this is only an outline!
You may consult your agenda, previous notes and our class for essay writing tips. Be sure to use text-based evidence to support your thesis.
Essay Prompts
Throughout the novel, Holden is a tormented adolescent…

Independent Novel Study
In today’s world, innocence cannot be preserved forever. As humans age, they lose their innocence due to the corruption that exists in society. This is demonstrated in the two novels, Catcher in the Rye and Frankenstein. The two authors, J.D. Salinger and Mary Shelley prove this statement through their use of various literary devices. Key characters in both novels- Holden and the creature- learn through personal experiences that innocence cannot, in fact, be preserved forever…

history. The Catcher In The Rye and Looking For Alaska, two American novels about young adulthood, provide an insight on the commonalities and differences between these two generations and their unique American experiences. The two novels written by J.D. Salinger and John Green, respectively, were written fifty-four years apart, but their similarities are nonpareil. In fact, Green cites The Catcher In The Rye as an inspiration for his novel. The Catcher In The Rye and Looking For Alaska display similarities…

J.D. Salinger’s TheCatcher in the Rye can be compared to Cervantes’ Don Quixote. Both novels feature naive protagonists pining for an ideal world. In Salinger’s novel, Holden Caulfield is a sixteen year old who experiences challenging and questionable events in the mid-stage of his adolescence. Holden wants to protect the innocent children like “the catcher in the rye” from the immorality and corruptness of the “phony” adult world. In Cervantes work, Don Quixote is the idealistic protagonist who…

shared disdain for such corruption is analyzed in The Catcher in the Rye and The Grapes of Wrath. Both authors address the corruption; however they do so from different perspectives they come to differing resolutions. Both protagonists in their novels experience isolation as a result of society’s corruption; however, Salinger’s chooses to isolate himself whereas Steinbeck’s experiences isolation inadvertently. J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath share a social…